Costa not to be punished for apparent stamp

Chelsea striker Diego Costa will not be charged by the FA for violent conduct after seemingly stamping on Martin Skrtel on Saturday.

The Spaniard tussled with the Liverpool defender in the second half of the game, with the pair falling to the ground before Costa seemed to stretch out his boot into Skrtel’s chest.

Referee Mark Clattenburg awarded a freekick to Liverpool, with Skrtel not reacting vigorously to Costa’s actions. Clattenburg then rushed in, preventing any further issues between the pair, who have history with eachother from previous games.

Costa himself was banned for three games earlier this season after being caught by TV cameras striking the face of Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny.

But the Football Association do not plan to take any action on this occasion, because Clattenburg witnessed the incident and dealt with it at the time.

Television pundits and ex-referees claimed Costa could be banned again for his clash with Skrtel, but no action will be taken and he will be free to face Stoke City in the Premier League on Saturday.